


A Slip in Time

by listeningtothestorm (never_wanted_to_dance)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, I Don't Even Know, Less fluffy than it sounds, Marauders, Marauders' Era, So please forgive me, Timey-Wimey, Well-Meaning Dumbledore, You Have Been Warned, low-key sirius/remus in the background, old as BALLS, squint and you might just spot it, this is old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 03:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10562376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/never_wanted_to_dance/pseuds/listeningtothestorm
Summary: In 1981, in the smouldering wreckage of his broken home, a scared infant sits alone, desperately wanting his parents back. So what are James and Lily supposed to do when a squirming, yelling baby shows up in the middle of the Great Hall in 1976 and starts calling them mama and dada?





	1. Dreams and Dust

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Slip in Time](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/282261) by Listeningtothestorm. 



> This story was originally hosted on Fanfiction.net and was written in 2011. It has since been updated and adjusted in several areas, and I think it's been improved, so i'd recommend reading this version rather than the older one. It was one of my first ever pieces of work, and it holds a special place in my HP trash heart. Hopefully you enjoy it too.

_Somebody shouts. A man, she thinks. Who's is that voice? Then another. Laughing. Cruel, awful laughter. Inhuman laughter._

_A scream. Who was screaming? What- was it coming from her own mouth? But why? And where was she?_

_A baby in her arms. Green eyes blinking, gazing up at her, so like her own that she could have been looking into a mirror. A crash, and the baby is gone, and somebody's screaming again. Who's screaming?_

_And suddenly there's just light. Blinding, incredible, cold light, blocking out everything, blocking out the baby, and the crib, and the sudden tearing feeling that hits her as she realises that she's all alone. That she's leaving this baby completely al one and she's powerless to do anything about it._

_A name._

_Harry..._

Lily Evans jumped awake, drenched in sweat, her dark red hair plastered uncomfortably to her face. She sat up in bed and tucked her feet under her, trying to calm her laboured breathing. She didn't often have nightmares, and very rarely such vivid ones. Pulling the heavy bed hangings aside, she reached for the glass of water she usually kept by her bedside, before changing her mind and swinging her legs out of bed to go to the bathroom to wash her face, shaking her head to try and clear her mind of the awful images that still lingered from the confusing dream.

As she made her way cautiously across the darkened dormitory, trying not to wake up the sleeping figures in the beds around her, Lily shivered slightly in the early morning chill that always seemed to creep into the dormitory as the gloom of autumn approached. Gryffindor tower always seemed to get the worst of the winter weather, although if the rumour about the location of the Slytherin dormitories was true, then they were perhaps to be pitied in the midst of all the heavy rains that had pelted Hogwarts since school had started again the previous week.

After washing her face and composing herself, Lily made her way back to bed, feeling slightly better about the night's events so far. It was only a dream, after all. As she tiptoed back across the circular room, she noticed the girl in the bed next to hers sleepily stirring, and sitting up slowly.

"Whozat? Who's there? Lils, is that you?"

Lily had to laugh at her best friend's sleepy confusion, and sat down on the end of her bed. "Yeah, it's me Alice. Sorry, I was trying not to wake you. I just had a bit of a weird dream. Go back to sleep." she said, patting her friends outstretched leg gently.

Alice sat up properly, dragging a lazy hand through her short, tufty hair. "Dream? What dream? Argh. It's so early. What day is it?"

"It's Saturday, Ali, first Hogsmeade visit of the year, remember? Or at least it will be in," she checked her watch, squinting in the dim light, "two hours and twenty-five minutes."

"Well, I'm up now" Alice yawned. "What was this dream that was so important you had to get up at stupid 'o clock in the freezing cold?"

Lily sighed, and curled her legs up onto the bed to tuck them under Alice's blankets, huddling up against her friend's legs and seeking respite from the cold air.

"You know Ali; I'm not even sure what it was. It was terrifying, the most scared I've ever felt in my life, but I couldn't tell you why." She glanced up at her friend, thankful to see that she was taking her seriously, a look of concern on her good-natured, round face. "There was somebody laughing. It wasn't a nice laugh though, and then somebody screamed... I think it was me, but it just wouldn't stop. Oh, and a baby as well. He looked a bit like me actually, and he wasn't scared. I was though, and I just felt so helpless. I remember that most, how helpless I was. It was awful," she finished, leaning back and shaking her hair out of her eyes.

Alice frowned, taking in her friend's paler than usual face and her typically confident voice that was shivering slightly, and somehow she doubted that it was from the cold.

"That sounds awful Lily. Just try and forget about it though, yeah?" she shivered. "I feel a bit weird too now you mention it. I don't think I had any nightmares like you, but maybe I just can't remember them. There's enough bad things happening in the world right now without dreams adding to them." She swung her legs out of bed suddenly, startling Lily and making her jump. "Come on. Lets go sit in the common room while we're up, we can build the fire up and get warm."

Lily smiled gratefully. "That sounds like a plan. Besides, if we stay here much longer we'll end up waking everybody up, and I can't have that on my first week as Prefect now, can I?" they laughed, and began to make their way down the narrow spiral staircase to the large, warm common room that lay below.

By the time breakfast was over and done with, Lily was feeling much better. As they made their way back upstairs to get their cloaks, she tried to focus on the coming day's events instead of the dark thoughts haunting the back of her mind. She'd promised to help Alice with starting on her Christmas shopping on the first trip to Hogsmeade, and although she had half been hoping that Alice would forget, at least it would keep her mind off scary laughter and green-eyed babies. _Harry._ The sudden recollection of the name floating around her dream made Lily stop in her tracks for a few seconds on the crowded staircase.

"Liiiiilly" sang out Alice's cheery voice from just ahead of her on the staircase, "Are you coming or not?"

Lily smiled, and ran to catch up with her. She was just being silly, she reasoned. Stupid dreams.

* * *

James Potter was not having a good morning. Since his violent and sudden awakening from a rather confusing dream that morning, everything seemed to be going wrong for him. In his confusion, he'd accidentally dressed for the day in his school uniform, and his so-called 'friends' had of course let him get all the way downstairs to breakfast before informing him that it was in fact, Saturday. He'd missed most of breakfast due to having to rush upstairs and change, and to top it all off, Remus kept bothering him about the dream he'd woken up from so distressed.

"Moony, come on, can we just stop talking about this now?" He pushed past a first year impatiently as they made their way up the stairs to the common room. "Are these kids getting younger? I swear, they're shrinking every year."

Remus grabbed the tiny sandy-haired boy who was teetering at the edge of the staircase and set him back on his feet. "Ah, leave them be James. And it was just a suggestion."

"And what suggestion might that be, ladies?" came an amused voice from just behind them. They both turned to see Sirius striding up the crowded stairs from behind an errant group of second years, a lazy grin on his face. "Alright Prongs, I see you finally figured out what day it is then?" He dodged a half-hearted punch from James and straightened up, shaking his still shower-damp hair out dramatically. "What were you on about then?"

James snorted. "Nothing, he just won't stop going on about that stupid dream I had last night. I swear, it's nothing, it's not even bothering me anymore."

As they finally made their way into the common room, he was grateful that the noise of the excited students all around them prevented them from saying anymore on the subject. By the time they made their way up to the dormitories, Remus and Sirius were talking about something considerably less sensitive, although he couldn't help but notice that Remus was watching him from the corner of his eye the whole time. Annoyed, he sped up and started searching for his cloak vehemently to give himself a reason to hide his face from Remus. He had been hoping that the vivid images from the dream would have faded over the morning, but he still couldn't forget the piercing voices and lights that lingered in his mind. And a name. _Harry_.

* * *

 

The biting wind kept up all day, and as Alice and Lily bundled themselves and their many bulging shopping baskets through the narrow door of The Hogs Head, they found themselves blasted with the warm air and comforting noise of the chattering crowd. It was a welcome change from the chilled autumn wind and chillier tense atmosphere that was lingering over the rest of the village. The bar was packed wall to wall with students, teachers and locals, all sheltering from the cold with steaming hot drinks weighing down the old wooden tables and booths. They fought their way through the casually arranged tables and chairs towards a booth next to the back, and upon reaching it, Alice made off right away to go and order them some drinks. Taking off her hat, Lily shook out her long hair, and wished, not for the first time since term had begun again, that Hogwarts was not located quite so far north. Suddenly she heard an all too familiar voice, much too close for her liking.

"Well well, Evans. Enjoying the weather?"

Lily sighed and turned around to the booth that backed on to the one she'd settled down into. "James, I seriously don't have the energy today. Why don't you just ask me out, I'll say no, and then we can both move on with our lives for the day?" She scowled when this did not seem to have any effect on the boy's cocky smile. "Don't you have somebody else to annoy?"

James laughed. "Hey, I was only saying hello, didn't realise that was such a crime these days." He took a swig of his drink. "Plenty of room here for both of us, right?" He winked and turned back around. He could no longer see Sirius or Remus in the crowd that was forming next to the bar, but he didn't mind. He knew Peter was lurking around somewhere too, and made a mental note to keep an eye out for him before they left – he was pretty likely to get left behind in Hogsmeade if they didn't make sure he got back safe. The noise of the bar seemed to swell, but he didn't mind. It all washed over him and he smiled to himself. Just when he was beginning to think this day would be a total waste.

Alice finally made her way back to a seething Lily, teetering under the weight of thetray laden with butterbeer and cakes. She grinned as she slid in beside her friend, shoving the shopping bags aside and tugging her scarf off impatiently.

"What took you so long?" hissed Lily, still seething. Of all the booths in the entire bar, they had to choose the one next to Potter's. Somebody seriously had it in for her today.

"Oh, sorry," replied Alice, slightly taken aback. "There was a queue at the bar, and then the bar-maid messed up our order, and well..." she broke off blushing slightly, avoiding Lily's gaze. This was enough to catch Lily's attention, and momentarily forgetting her irritation at James, she smiled as she noticed her friend's rising colour.

"Was Frank there by any chance?"

Alice's ears turned completely red. "Shut up." She busied herself with her drink as Lily laughed at her, relaxing slightly. "By the way," she said, lowering her voice slightly to dip beneath the din of the remainder of the room, "Was that James I just saw sitting in the other booth?"

Lily scowled. "Of course."

Alice tutted reassuringly, shaking her head. "Was he being a prat again?"

"Yes of course, when is he..." Lily trailed off, suddenly realising that James hadn't, for once, actually said anything that bad. She felt her cheeks flushing. Why was he even more irritating when he was being nice? She glanced back at Alice, and was happy to see that she was otherwise occupied staring at the crowd, trying to spot Frank.

Behind them, eavesdropping shamelessly and spotting Lily's rising colour out of the corner of his eye, James smirked.

The journey back through Hogsmeade and up to the castle seemed to take half as long as usual for the Marauders and certainly for James more than any of them. Seeing Lily again for the first time since school had began had banished ninety-nine percent of the uneasiness left over from his dream. He all but skipped back up to the castle, leaving his friends slightly confused at the dramatic change from the morning's angst.

Peter frowned, looking at James, who was a few steps in front of them. "Okay, what did I miss here? Why is he so damn happy now?"

Sirius and Remus exchanged a look. They had both noticed Lily sitting at the booth behind them in the pub, but had decided not to push the subject with their friend in fear of breaking his good mood. Remus turned to Peter.

"Well, either Lily was actually nice to him for once, or he's become so deluded he actually believes she was. We're not entirely sure to be honest, she looked furious when I saw her." He sighed, and shook his head at Peter. "I'd recommend you just leave him be for now, there's no point in ruining his fun." He turned away, shielding his eyes from the early winter sun that was beginning to shine down incessantly, breaking through the cloudy gloom that had dominated the morning so far. They carried on up to the castle, all of them wondering in the back of their minds what on earth they could have missed that could have caused such a dramatic change in mood in their previously sombre friend.

Arriving at the castle, James and Lily alike were glad to find themselves once again surrounded by the warmth and gorgeous smells of the Great Hall. The bright enchanted ceiling showed off perfectly the brilliantly cold winter sun outside, and the tables were already groaning with the sheer weight of so many hungry, excitable students. Alice and Lily squeezed onto a bench next to several third-years, who were chattering excitedly about the upcoming match against Hufflepuff the following week. The noise swelled as more and more students poured in through the doors, and Lily caught a glimpse of Sirius and Remus next to the door. James must be with them, she noted dimly, barely noticing that she did.

The noise seemed to grow, then dim, and the light was growing hazy in the crowded room. Suddenly, the crowd began to spin in front of her eyes. The noise of the crowd grew fainter and fainer, and she barely noticed Alice turn to her, her mouth moving frantically before the world grew black.

_So bright. Was it the blinding sun of the Great Hall, or the piercing light of her dreams? Lily wasn't sure anymore._

_So much noise, people chattering, people screaming, people crying – it all sounded the same somehow._ _Just, noise._

_One noise stood out from the rest. _

_A quiet, almost inaudible, gurgle._

Lily opened her eyes. Somehow she was on the hard, flagstone floor, staring up at the hushed circle of scared faces above her. As she turned her head to the side and went to push herself up into a sitting position, her arm brushed against something at her side, something warm and soft, and very close to her. She rubbed her eyes, trying to re-adjust to the bright light in the Hall. To her side, curled up in a bright blue blanket, was a gurgling, incredibly happy looking baby. A baby with a dusting of black hair sticking up in tufts from his head, and bright, piercing green eyes. She stared.

Harry. 


	2. Chaos

The Great Hall slowly grew quieter, as the rest of the students noticed the silent commotion at the Gryffindor table, where Lily was still lying on the floor, surrounded by scared looking students. As the hush crept over the long tables, people began to trickle over to the left side of the hall where everyone was gathered. The ceiling was still spinning - wait, had it ever been spinning? Why would it spin? Perhaps it was the room which was turning, instead, and all the people. 

The world suddenly snapped back into focus, sharp and clear. Alice was crouching beside her, her mouth forming words that could not be heard, despite the deathly silence.

Lily shook her head sharply. "... so don't move if you can help it Lil, Dumbledore's on his way now, Slughorn just ran to get him." Alice paused, shaking her head in disbelief at the bundle on the floor between them, who was now gurgling happily and trying to escape his tightly wrapped blankets, waving a chubby, sleep-suit encased hand in the air. She couldn't help but smile at him, in spite of the strangeness of the situation.

"Don't worry, little one. It'll be okay" Alice murmured, tugging the corner of his blanket back into place beneath an escaped foot where he was now struggling to sit up.

Suddenly, the doors of the Hall swung open and a tall, thin man swept in, his long purple cloak trailing behind him as he scanned the room with his sharp blue eyes. He headed straight for the girl on the floor, students stepping back respectfully in waves as he hurried over.

"I think it best we move Miss. Evans to a more comfortable place than here, don't you, Alice?" He peered over his glasses at the two young witches on the floor, motioning with his hand towards the doors of the hall. "Take her to the hospital wing and wait for me there. Madam Pomfrey," he nodded over his shoulder at the nurse who had just appeared at his right hand side, "will accompany you both."

They nodded, and stood up, Lily clinging desperately to her friend's arm as she swayed dangerously, teetering as they turned to leave. "I do think one of you had rather take the little one with you, don't you?" They stopped and turned round to face their headmaster, who was holding the baby in his arms, seemingly unfazed by the child's incessant grabs at his spectacles that were now precariously perched on the end of his long nose.

Lily nodded, and stepped forward to take him from his arms. As soon as her hands took the baby, he smiled straight up at her and took his tiny hand out of his mouth where he has been sucking his fingers, to stammer out a single word.

"Maaaa. Ma. Mama." The pride on his little round face contrasted drastically with the girl holding him, who could feel the colour draining from her face even as she stood there. "Mama here."

"Come along dear" Madam Pomfrey ushered the unlikely pair out of the room away from the staring crowd in the hall, trying and failing to hide the worry on her face.

"Let's go". Alice hesitated for a moment before following slowly behind. This was turning out to be a very strange day indeed, she noted faintly in the back of her mind.

* * *

 

The commotion in the Great Hall had escaped nobody, and as the night crept on and Lily Evans still did not return, the whispers began between students heading up to bed, as they tried to make sense of what had happened. Nobody had seen the baby appear, and yet seemingly everybody had heard it proudly declare it's parentage before Lily was swept away.

"I heard it's her brother that she never knew she had. He's been sent because her parents are moving away."

"Nah, it's her child for sure. She hid him away in a foreign school but he's been sent back now because she can't afford the fees anymore"

"Don't be ridiculous – how could he go to school? He was like one! Besides, this is Lily Evans we're talking about. She's a goddamn prefect!"

James sidled through the busy common room, heading toward the fireside where his friends sat sunken into the huge sofas, talking earnestly in low voices. He squeezed through a silent group of second years who glared at him vehemently, surrounded by huge astronomy maps, and prodded a third year couple out of the squashy chair next to Sirius so he could flop down into it. The others broke off their conversation and looked up at him, startled at his sudden appearance.

"What?" James looked from Peter to Remus, both of whom looked uncomfortable and finally to Sirius, who seemed to be avoiding his gaze. "What?"

Remus cleared his throat. "We thought you might be down at the hospital wing with, er, Lily." He fiddled with the frayed end of his robe, and looked down at James, confused and curled up in the easy chair next to the fire. "After that baby said... well, you know what it said. And it... well, I just thought you would be down there."

Sirius snorted, looking James in the eye for the first time since he had sat down. "Prongs, she asked for you while she was half-out on the floor. Apparently. Alice came and grabbed dear Remus over here while he was passing the hospital wing and told him because she didn't know if Evans actually 'meant it' or not."

He shook his long black hair back from his face and over his shoulder, draping his arm over the back of the sofa he shared with Remus. "You're a damn fool if you don't get down there right now and see her, regardless of all this weird crap with random babies appearing everywhere. This might be the only chance you have to prove to her you're not entirely a complete prat. All the time."

He grinned as James could only sit there stuttering, rising from his chair as quickly as he had sunk into it. As James made his way back through the packed common room, Sirius turned to Remus, to find him glaring. "You shouldn't have told him that, Alice said to wait until Lily was fully awake again so she could ask her what she meant by it."

Sirius just laughed and reached around to pat his hand endearingly before he could move it away. "He'll thank me for it later Remus. You know he deserved to know, really."

Remus snatched his hand away and rose up from the couch brusquely. "I'm going to bed. If he comes back tonight at all I'm blaming you for him being out of bed after hours. Peter, you coming?" He helped the smaller boy up from his position on the floor, leaving Sirius sprawled on the red settee, smirking with more self-righteousness than was strictly necessary.

* * *

 

Madam Pomfrey was a hard-working nurse. A talented healer, with near unlimited patience. Taking care of so many students day and night was no easy task, and when strange things such as this happened, she needed to be available and up to task right away. She was however, only human, and quickly grew tired of hearing James Potter's incessant pacing outside the hospital wing doors. Opening the door a crack, she sighed as he stopped immediately and grinned over at her.

"Come on then, I can't have you clattering around out here all night. She's in the last bed on the left-hand side. Alice has gone  and the baby is in the crib next to the bed. Wake her and you'll be back up in Gryffindor tower before you can say dittany."

She conjured up a wooden stool next to the bed and stalked back down the corridor to her office, bathed in golden lamplight in stark contrast to the quiet moonlight of the main ward. James sat on the stool warily, afraid to make the slightest noise that might wake up the sleeping girl on the bed in front of him. She was frowning in her sleep, her mouth moving occasionally, muttering silent words at intervals.

Dragging his eyes away from her auburn hair fanned out on the pillow, he noticed that the baby was awake and sitting up, grabbing at his toes and staring up at him curiously. He edged his stool closer to the crib, dangling his hands in to pick him up. James sat the lively little boy on his knee, bouncing him up and down to keep him babbling quietly happily away, offering him his glasses to play with when he seemed to grow bored of that.

The tuft of black hair on the baby's head stuck up like he'd been electrocuted, giving him a comical, yet endearing look. Looking down at him playing with his glasses, James felt a sudden rush of affection towards the boy. He barely noticed the nurse walking down the ward towards them, or even Lily stirring restlessly in the bed in front of him, opening her eyes and staring up him drowsily. He only had eyes for the child on his knee who was now giggling and staring at him through his own glasses. Staring at him with Lily Evans eyes.

The baby opened his mouth enthusiastically, eager to show off yet more of his wonderful linguistic capabilities, and, unmistakably, staring up into James' eyes, sang out his second enthusiastic phrase of the day.

"Dada. Dada!"

For not the first time that day, James Potter began to wish he had stayed in bed. It would have been far less trouble, he mused as he took in the shocked stares of Lily and the nurse to his side. _Yes_ , he thought, _far less of a nuisance_.


	3. Memories

"No. Absolutely, unequivocally, no. Not a single chance."

Lily sat up straight with her arms firmly crossed, glaring at the boy sitting on the ornate chair next to her. Dumbledore peered over his glasses, and leaning forward onto his large desk, gazed out of the window at the bright sky outside. The threat of snow had been hanging in the air for over a week now, and it was now falling thick and fast, swirling lazily past the beautiful arched window-frame in the early morning gloom. He gave a small sigh, just as James opened his mouth rather hesitantly.

"Look Lils – " he broke off as Lily hissed at him with surprising ferocity. "LILY, then. I don't know why he said it either, but it's not my bloody fault! I didn't come to interfere, I just came to..." he trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, I guess I don't know why I came."

He shook his head as if clearing it, and resumed his staring at his hands that he clasped tightly and nervously in his lap, not noticing that Lily's glare had lost some of its venom. Madam Pomfrey sat a little way back with the sleepy looking baby on her knee, absent-mindedly stroking down his black hair whilst watching the scene that was unfolding in front of her.

"Ahem." They looked up with a start at the weary headmaster, who had walked over to the window and was looking out of it, twirling his wand graciously in his hands. "I don't wish to upset you Miss Evans as I'm sure this has been a most taxing twenty _-_ four hours for you - as it has for us _all_ - but I am inclined to agree with Mr Potter. If this is indeed anybody's fault, it is no more his than it is your own." He cleared his throat and looked over at them with a gentle gaze.

"There is a way perhaps, that we could find out a little more about the situation at hand. I am sure you have both encountered in your studies, the curious object known as a Pensive?" He gave a flick of his wand, and a small, shallow basin floated steadily out of a cupboard on the other side of the room, coming to a halt on top of the desk, neatly avoiding the array of strange and delicate looking objects that rested there. James and Lily gave a quick nod, eager to hear what the professor had in mind.

"It is not customary to use the pensive to view the thoughts of such a young subject, but I think, in the circumstances, it may be beneficial to us to have a peer into this child's memories." He walked over to where the nurse held the young boy, and placed the tip of his wand to the side of the baby's head, quickly moving over to the pensive with the silvery substance that stuck to it as he moved away. "Specifically, his most recent memories, from the moments immediately prior to his arrival here."

"Memories do get increasingly difficult to understand the younger the subject in question is, so I think it might be best if I undertake this on my own." He held up his hand to stop Lily, who began to protest. "I ask only your patience for a few minutes." And with that, he bent down gracefully and placed his wand against the furiously swirling contents of the basin, disappearing from sight in an instant.

The swirling surroundings began to slow down, shimmering and shifting with every passing second. Heavy white fog clouded most of the surroundings - there was only a narrow passage-way, leading along a corridor to an open door, and it was down this passage that the professor tentatively stepped, careful to take in as much of the vague shapes around him as he could. He seemed to be on the top floor of a small and cosy looking house, he noted, where toys littered the top of the stairway – among them, a small toy broomstick that leant casually against an end table. A small window at the end of the hall showed a clear and starry night sky. Suddenly, a man's voice floated up from downstairs, the words indistinguishable but the tone clearly panicked and urgent. The voice was evidently that of a slightly older James Potter.

Dumbledore paused, attempting to make out what was being said, when another voice cut off the first abruptly, the cold, clear laugh carrying perfectly up to the second floor. He stopped short for a moment, blood somewhat chilled at the horribly familiar sound, and then swept into the dimly lit room next to him, the only door on the landing which was not cloaked in fog.

The visibility in this room was marginally better than the corridor, the professor noted dimly, with certain items standing out more than others; presumably those which the child in question held a particular favour for. The curtains, for example, shone brightly as they fluttered directly above the crib, despite there not being a hint of a draft in the still room. On a low bookshelf, a well-worn teddy bear glowed with recognition. More than anything else though, the young woman standing frozen and terrified beside the crib was clear as day, every delicate feature represented and remembered perfectly in the memory of the young boy she now clutched in her arms. It was unmistakably the figure of Lily Evans, but not as Dumbledore had ever seen her.

Brushing away a tear as the cold laugh faded away and footsteps were heard on the stairs, the hugged the boy fiercely and placed him in the cot, kissing his head as she did so. He looked up at her with his big, curious eyes, clearly wondering what could have distressed his pretty young mother so much. She whispered to the boy under her breath, and only a single word was audible: Harry.

The headmaster retreated to a corner of the room to watch the rest of the memory.

" _No – Please – Take me instead!"_

" _Stand aside, you silly girl!"_

An overwhelming flash of green light brought the memory to a sudden and distressing end, and an enormous sense of despair clung to the professor as he hurtled back through the spinning liquid to his study. He stood, panting as he tried to catch his breath, and faced the two young students in front of him, who looked up at him expectantly. From the corner, the baby gurgled, amused by the sudden return of the headmaster and squirming to be released from the nurse's solid grip. 

"Well, sir?" Lily stared up at him, with the same curious and innocent expression that Harry had displayed in the memory. "Did you find out anything useful?"


	4. Dazed

Lily and James left the headmasters office some time later with heavy hearts, both of them silently contemplating what had been said, and replaying the conversation over and over in their heads. What Dumbledore had told them, although rather confusing, seemed quite impossible to believe. This baby was from the future? He had - somehow, fuelled by desperate grief at an unknown event, and longing to see his parents - travelled back through time to attach himself to the two of them? And, most incredibly, Lily thought, looking sideways at James, she had somehow had a child with… him? She had never ever doubted the headmaster before, but that was just a little too difficult to believe.

They made their way up to the common room in silence, James carrying the tired out baby - Harry, apparently, according to Dumbledore - on his hip. Both of them were still unable to suppress a shiver at the name, which had been inexplicably haunting the back of both their minds, drawing up half-forgotten memories of unspoken dreams.

Dumbledore had not given them any kind of instruction as to what would be happening other than telling them to take Harry back to the tower with them, and that they would both be excused from lessons for the next few days. They were to go back and see him tomorrow at dusk for more explanation of the situation, and hopefully, a little guidance on what they could actually _do_. 

As they reached the portrait hole, James stopped and turned, careful not to disturb the sleeping boy in his arms.

"This is getting a bit beyond weird, isn't it?" he started, his mouth curling up in a hopeful half smile. "I er, just wanted to ask if you want me to take him tonight. What with boys not being allowed in your rooms and that, I'm not sure how that would work with him" he ran his hand through his hair self consciously, wishing for the first time ever that Lily would stop looking at him.

"I don't want to make this any weirder than it already is, is what I'm trying to say I guess, so we should just try and make the best of it? Yeah?" He flushed pink, and turned to climb through the entrance, where the puzzled looking portrait had just swung open.

Lily gave a quick nod, and followed him through into the common room which was thankfully almost empty. She hurried towards the stairs which led to her dormitory, whispering a hurried goodnight in James' direction, eager to get away from the intense stares of the two or three people still seated by the fire.

As he walked by the window seats, he stopped at a small table next to the window, upon which stood a small bowl of baby food, some fruit and a bottle of milk, alongside a card with his name written on it the familiar scrawly handwriting of the kitchen house elves he so often visited with Sirius to sneak extra food. He smiled slightly, and gathering it all up in his arms with the baby, trudged off towards his own bedroom, where he was certain his friends would be sitting in wait for him, a prospect that seemed less than appealing to his tired mind.

* * *

 

"So, let me get this straight…" Sirius began again. He sat cross-legged on the end of the bed where James sat with baby Harry, who was was beginning to drift off once again after his late night feast. Lupin was perched gently at the top of the bed next to James, clearing away the baby bottles without magic, with the air of one wanting to distract himself from the situation at hand.

"This is your baby. Your baby, from the future. The mother of which is Lily bloody Evans from the future, apparently a very strange future where she seems to not hate your guts. Nobody seems to know how he got here, and Dumbledore won't tell even you exactly what he saw in the memory? Is that essentially it?"

James sighed, and cradled Harry closer to him.

"Essentially it, yeah. Don't talk so loud either, you'll wake Peter." He looked at Lupin desperately, who was now occupying himself by tidying James' beside table. "His name is Harry, Moony. _Harry_. You were right about that dream, I… I should have gone straight to Dumbledore." He shook his head sadly, and tucked Harry into the small crib which had also been placed handily next to his bed. Lupin continued to stare at the baby and finally spoke up.

"I had no idea - NO idea it would come to something like this though, James. I didn't exactly push you to go to him that much though. I should have tried harder." He sighed heavily, noticing as he did that the snow had once again began to fall gently past the window, the heavy clouds partially obscuring the bright waxing moon. He shivered and turned back. "He looks like you."

"Well, I can't believe he's not named after me, frankly" Sirius broke in with a smile, nodding towards the crib. "Sirius would suit him far better than Harry, handsome boy like that. I better at least be his godfather or cool uncle in this weird future, or I will not be happy." He ignored Remus' glares and, getting up from his seat on the bed, moved to the top and flung his arm around James, who continued to simply sit and stare at the figure in the crib. "Go to sleep mate. Things'll look better in the morning, or if not then at least you'll have had a proper nights sleep first, and that's got to make it slightly better, right?"

James nodded in agreement, and pushed his friend off the bed, a half smile growing on his face again. As they made their way back to their respective beds, all three triedunsuccessfully to push the days events from their minds.

Baby Harry lay cooing gently in his crib, drifting off to sleep happily, truly happy for the first time in quite a few hours. He knew nothing of the uneasy teenage boys in the four-poster beds with the heavy curtains around him. He knew nothing of Lily, sitting awake in her dormitory with a sleepy Alice for company, unable to sleep and consumed with confusion and fear. He knew only that he was warm, comfortable and well-fed. He felt at home once again.


	5. Bonding

The cold, stone walls of the dormitory lit up slowly and peacefully as the glaring sun crept stealthily across the early morning sky. The heavy maroon curtains that hung around the ornate four-posters shut out the harsh light from all but one of the beds, where a sleepy black-haired boy opened one eye to glare at the brightness. Reaching out blearily for his wand, he found instead his glasses, which he shoved carelessly onto his face with all the grace that he could muster at this unholy hour.

A small, giggling shape came into focus in the crib next to his bed, dressed in blue pyjamas and eager to grab everything that his fat little fists could reach. James groaned.

_What business does such a tiny thing have being up at this time of day_ , he wondered silently as he scooped up the baby rather awkwardly, and, stretching, made his way carefully down the narrow spiral staircase to see if the house elves had brought him some more food during the night. As the brilliant pink light shone through the high windows, James found himself incredulous at more than just the time of day. Somehow, in the presence of the amazing sunrise that was clearly stretching over the whole expanse of the grounds below them, the situation seemed to get just a little bit less bizarre. Just a little. He sighed, and snapped himself out of it as Harry grabbed his glasses rather roughly, grizzling slightly due to his demanding stomach.

Thankfully the house elves had left more baby food, as well as other useful looking supplies. He cast a nervous eye over the small table, recognising only a few items such as nappies and a small toy pumpkin that was seemingly filled with rice, crafted from what looked suspiciously like a tea-towel. It was this crudely sewn toy that the tired boy thrust at Harry while he busied himself with breakfast, his tiredness clinging relentlessly on as he tried to ignore the hungry rumblings of his own stomach for the time being.

As students began to filter down from the dormitories in various states of alertness, it was the sight of Lily that kept his eyes glued to the door leading up to the girls dormitory, scanning the crowd in between keeping Harry vaguely amused, and occasionally stopping him from crawling off remarkably quickly towards the startled group of fourth years who sat closest to them. Remus and Peter both emerged before long, dressed and neat looking, and both came over to him for a quick good morning and the promise of bringing him up some breakfast if they could find the time, before hurrying downstairs again with the swelling crowd of hungry students making their way through the portrait hole. Sirius followed not long after, hair carelessly dishevelled and sleeves pushed up casually, looking for all the world he had been primping all morning - a far cry from his actual morning routine of sleeping too late, rolling out of bed and into clothes and rushing down to breakfast as late as possible. Alice gave him a quick smile as she passed, before rushing off to join Frank by the fire where he sat with a small group of friends.

One by one the familiar faces drifted away, eventually leaving James in the once again empty common room with only the now incredibly awake and alert baby for company. He sighed and grabbed an apple, resigning himself to a lonely breakfast. There was no sign of Lily.

* * *

 

"Hey." James spun around at the sound of a familiar voice, leaving Harry to teeter dangerously on his unsteady feet as he clutched at the side of an easy chair. Remus stood in the doorway, holding a small tray laden with food - adult food, for once. James leapt up with a yell of delight and grabbed the tray from his chuckling friend, who followed him to the corner of the room where he had been sitting with Harry. 

"God I thought you'd all forgotten about me!" he exclaimed with a mouthful of sandwiches, waving one in the air as he spoke. "You know, I don't know how people do it. I've had nobody to talk to for almost-" he checked his watch- "four and a half hours!" he gulped down a mouthful of pumpkin juice from a flask balanced on the tray, and leaned back with a sigh. "Just this little one. Who, don't get me wrong, is great at the whole pointing and laughing at things, but not so good with the conversation."

Harry, as if on cue, sat down heavily and swiftly crawled over to where Lupin had sat down on the floor leaning against one of the chairs, reaching to grab curiously at his shoes. Remus laughed and picked him up gently. Taking out his wand, he thought for a moment, and then pointed it deliberately at the now empty plate that the sandwiches had sat on, muttering under his breath. In seconds, the plate was transformed into a small plush snake, shining white with the same delicate blue pattern running along its side as the matching teacup on the tray. This he handed to the baby, who, delighted with his new toy, immediately grabbed it by the neck and chewed on its soft, felt head.

"I've got the rest of the afternoon off, so I figured I may as well come help you with him" he replied with a smile, keeping his tone light and airy. It was clear to James that he wanted to try and keep everything feeling as normal as possible. He grinned and jumped up, brushing crumbs from his lap as he did so.

"Come on then, let's get out of here. I'm sick of looking at this bloody room."

They made their way down across the sprawling grounds, pausing slightly only to struggle baby Harry into a thick cloak that Remus had obligingly shrunk down to approximate baby size. It wasn't perfect, but it certainly did the job against the cold wind that blew their heavy cloaks around their ankles. The snow from the day before still lay thinly on the ground, dusting everything in sight a frosty white. They wandered the grounds aimlessly for a while, Lupin chatting away lightly about his day, and his various duties as the newly appointed prefect of the 5th years. Everyone had expected it except Lupin himself, and he was still quietly delighted with his role in the house. James was glad for the snow for once, as it pretty much guaranteed that the grounds would be deserted until it either cleared up or got deep enough for the first – and seventh- years to play out in. He wasn't in the mood to be stared at right now.

After a while of drifting around by the edge of the forest, they made their way down towards the lake, their strange little group seeming more natural by the minute. As they paused for breath under a large and amazingly old oak tree, a now laughing James handed Harry over to his friend while he adjusted his long red and gold scarf that was beginning to trail on the floor, due to the child's insistence on tugging on it every moment he was in James' arms. _Well, if it's that or the glasses_ , James thought to himself, _I think I'll take the scarf_. He was only half listening to Remus as he turned, brushing his untidy hair out of his eyes as he did so. Something had caught his eye down by the lake.

"Hey, will you keep Harry for a minute?" James passed over the child and made his way down to the edge of the lake, moving quicker as he began to see more clearly what it was that was sitting beneath the white tree at the water's edge. He paused for a moment when he reached the tree, then took off his cloak and held it out tentatively. Lily turned slowly and heavily, barely registering him there. Her hair was dusted with snow, seemingly fallen from the branches of the tree that spread out above her. James gently spread out the cloak over her frozen shoulders – she had on only her thin uniform shirt, and didn't seem to notice – or care - that she was visibly shuddering in the cold air. She continued to stare out at the soft ripples of the dark lake as she sat, completely impassive to her surroundings. James sunk down beside her on the bank.

"Lily, what are you doing?" He found himself facing the same stony silence, and sighed. "What's going on? I looked for you this morning, I thought we were going to try and do this together- maybe?" She trembled slightly, but made no effort to speak. James found his temper rising against his will.

"Would you look at me!" he yelled, startling Lupin who was now leaning against the trunk of a nearby birch tree, looking concerned but determined to stay out of it. "Why should I have to do this on my own? You were the one he 'appeared' to or whatever, I wouldn't have had any part in this if you hadn't asked for me when you passed ou-" he cut himself off abruptly. That had got her attention, and she turned, eyes blazing with tears.

"I don't remember asking for you, because I was, as I'm sure you remember, pretty much UNCONSCIOUS!" Lily began, but seemed to run out of steam as quickly as she started. She sighed, and pulled the borrowed cloak around herself tightly.

"I didn't ask for any of this, and just I don't know how you can be so okay with it. That- baby- is nothing to me, James. And he's nothing to you either, he appeared out of thin air and suddenly everyone's okay with it."

James sighed, and reached out to brush her long hair over her shoulders, where it was dripping water into her lap as the snow melted. "You honestly think I'm okay with this?" he chuckled, startling her into looking at him. "I'm just trying to make the best of all of this. I know it's incredible and I know, I'm not exactly the best person to be doing this with you, but, hell, I'm going to try." He stood up, and looked down at her sadly. "I'm going inside now. Please come in, Evans."

He felt her gaze on him as he walked steadily back up Lupin and took Harry from him, cradling him gently in the crook of one arm. He shot a grin back over his shoulder at her as they left, calling back to her with a hint og laughter in his voice.

"You can keep the cloak by the way. I stole it from Sirius anyways."

* * *

 

_Mr Potter and Miss Evans,_

_I regret to tell you that I have been called away on travels, which I assure you are related to the situation at hand. I hope to return within the next ten days, and I will contact you when I do. Please do not hesitate to see Madam Pomfrey if you wish to discuss anything, but please note that I will not be able to be contacted directly._

_Regards,_

_Professor Albus Dumbledore,_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

James threw down the letter that the rather haughty looking owl had just dropped in his lap as it swept in through the single open window of the common room, exactly the same time that Lily had crept through the portrait hole, looking slightly sheepish and a little more alert. Why did things keep going from bad to worse, he thought miserably, as he passed the letter to the confused looking girl as she approached, and buried his face in his hands.


	6. Despair

The days, and nights, were certainly passing slower than ever. Lily woke up panting, and sat up with a start before she realised where she was. The dark walls of the dormitory seemed to close in on her as it quickly dawned on her that it wasn't exactly morning yet. Far from it actually, she reasoned, looking up at the intensely black night. The stars outside shone calmly, mocking her flushed and panting figure sat up poker straight on the bed amongst the other quietly sleeping girls.

Nobody around her was stirring, which was a good sign at least. At least she hadn't been screaming again.

She sighed and sunk back down onto the fluffy pillows that surrounded her. Things couldn't go on like this.

* * *

 

"Hey, Alice? ALICE!"

Alice turned to see a panting boy running towards her from across the courtyard. It seemed strange now to see him without the chubby little boy who was usually perched on his hip these days. He looked a little lost, even, as he ran his hands through his hair, trying to catch his breath.

"Er, can I help you James?" she peered around him to see Remus sitting on a low wall a little way off on the other side of the yard, bouncing the baby on his knee. "I didn't hear you." He laughed, still a little breathless.

"No bother, I guess I just wasn't loud enough or whatever." trailing off, he straightened up properly and cleared his throat. "Can we talk? It's sort of important." he nodded back towards where Lupin and Harry were sat, and gave her a tentative smile.

A few minutes later, Alice was sat with Harry on her lap, laughing at his tentative attempts to produce more sensible sounds than his usual babbling, encouraged by James and Remus. She left James soon, and returned to lessons. Their conversation played over and over in her head, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to silence it until she talked it over with somebody - and she knew who that somebody should really be.

"You know it makes sense Lils." Alice stroked her friend's hand as they sat by the fire, Lily staring deep into it's depths, looking slightly distraught.

"I don't know anything about babies though!" she burst out, looking around at Alice desperately.

"And James does? It's only for one day." She smiled reassuringly at her. "Just take him for a walk or something, feed him and he'll be happy. He doesn't need much."

The red-headed girl sighed and shut her eyes. She'd known that she couldn't avoid this forever, not with James getting more and more insistent every day. She should have known that it was only a matter of time before he'd gone behind her back and appealed to Alice, or one of her other friends. Although saying that, these past few days had seen less and less of her other so-called friends acknowledging her smiles or returning her waves in the common room. Only Alice remained, and it was Alice that she turned to now, laying her head on her shoulder and shutting her eyes in defeat.

"Fine. Tell James I'll take him tomorrow, if I really have to."

* * *

 

The Great Hall quickly filled with bright sunlight and student's voices almost simultaneously as lunch time approached, both bringing with them the cheerful optimism that always seemed to hover in the air near the beginning of a new term at Hogwarts. Heavy cloaks were flung from carefree shoulders, as hundreds of young witches and wizards piled into the room and hurried to the long benches where food was already beginning to appear on the huge tables. Soon the air was filled with chattering and homely smells, transforming the grand and imposing hall into a warm and friendly place.

Harry was entranced, and as he sat awkwardly on Lily's knee, it took all of her concentration to stop him from toppling over into the bowl of mashed potatoes that sat in front of them both as he tried his best to escape her grasp and grab whatever he could. Alice sat nearby, glaring at the first year students nearby who were whispering and pointing at the unlikely pair. Most of the students were actively avoiding looking in Lily's direction however, something she was almost glad for. She made another desperate grab at Harry as he almost wriggled himself free, and finally stood up, gathering him up clumsily in her arms.

"Ali, I'm going to take him upstairs" she shouted back over her shoulder at Alice, who was now deep in conversation with a friend. She looked up startled to see Lily still wrestling with Harry, who seemed to want to be anywhere except her arms. Her long red hair swung free of it's hair band as she hurried around the huge wooden doors and into the relative calm of the deserted entrance hall. The noise from the hall was muted here, but still rang out against the flagstones, bubbling with a steady hum of chatter. 

Lily struggled over to the staircase, and sat down heavily, placing Harry carefully beside her on the bottom stair. He paused in his wriggling and looked up at her, identical bright green eyes meeting for a few moments. It unnerved her how comfortable he was staring straight into her eyes like that. Lily watched carefully as his face began to screw up in an unsightly manner, signalling his imminent crying fit. His eyes never left hers once as he began to bawl, until she shut her eyes and buried her head in her hands, trying to block out the shrill sound. She sat quietly, watching through her fingers as he slowly got more and more agitated, obviously distraught at her disinterest. Lily looked up at the doors leading into the Hall, and hearing the benches starting to scrape against the floor as the students finished their lunch, made a split second decision. Dropping the blanket and bottle that she was holding in her arms, she stood up and raced up the stairs, leaving a howling Harry behind on the bottom step. He sat, alone and frightened as Lily sprinted up the long stairway, hair swinging wildly and panting heavily.

Alice was one of the first out of the Great Hall, and her footsteps echoed on the cold floor of the entrance hall as she stepped through the doors, chattering away to a friend. Harry's cries rang out equally loudly across the marble, catching her attention immediately, and she sprinted over to the staircase where the small boy sat, fists clenched and seemingly giving his very best mandrake impression. She scooped him up, blanket and all, and spun around to face the crowd of people gathering behind her. She saw Sirius first, playfully shoving Peter, his face twisted into a laugh that she couldn't hear over Harry's cries. Then Remus, on his own for once, looking rather pale and a little withdrawn. Finally, she found the boy she was looking for, and as soon as her eyes found him, he seemed to finally hear the pitiful yelling of the baby. James raced across the entrance hall, eyes blazing, pushing students out of the way as he made his way through the slow moving crowd, many of whom had stopped to stare at the unfolding scene.

"What the hell is this Alice?" he asked, taking Harry from her immediately, soothing his cries a little. "Where's Lily? Why is he so worked up?"

"I don't know! I just found him on the stairs here, all on his own!" Alice's own voice was raised in anger, and for the first time, she could not find it in herself to defend Lily's actions. "I don't know what she was thinking, he could have crawled off or gone outside or been trodden on or- where are you going?" she cut off, as James strode up the stairs clutching Harry close to him, who had now contented himself with grizzling quietly and twisting James' shirt in his fist. She followed him up the stairs, jogging slightly to catch up with him as he practically ran up the huge staircase. "James!"

He didn't stop, or even glance back. He simply strode on, with one purpose in his mind - he needed to find Lily.

Alice and James burst into the common room with similar intentions. Both of them forgot them immediately when they saw Lily in the corner. All of the anger seemed to melt away from James as he looked at her, curled up and crying almost as hard as Harry had been just a few minutes earlier, though thankfully not as loudly. He handed the baby gently to Alice without a word, and walked over tentatively to Lily. She turned her face away as he approached, and shrunk back from his arm as he sat down next to her.

They sat in silence until Lily had finally stopped shaking with the sobs that racked through her, and James had felt the last of his anger seep away from him as he heard the desperation in the girl's crying. It was definitely true, they both realised - things couldn't go on like this.


	7. Marauders

For the majority of the fifth year students at Hogwarts, the beautiful winter's day outside would begin at breakfast time. Early morning sun would stream into the huge windows, the gradual flow of night into day marked by the same comfortable routine that began at the same time each and every school day. Even the weekends settled into their own, slightly slower perhaps, but still recognisable and calm routine.

Having been a resident at Hogwarts for all of six days, however, Harry was not aware of this routine. To his young mind, daylight meant morning - and morning meant playtime. Gurgling loudly in his crib he kicked his legs happily against the bars, staring at the boys around him who slept on, unaware of the baby's confusion at their continued willingness to ignore the beautiful sun-drenched morning. Maybe banging his fists against the bars would get their attention.

"Argh! James!"

"Prongs, the kid! Seriously!"

"It's SATURDAY!"

For reasons he couldn't quite understand though, the boys of the fifth year dormitory never seemed to appreciate Harry waking them up to enjoy the morning with him. Didn't they want to get up and play with him?

James groaned and rolled over to face the crib, where Harry had now hauled himself up by the side bars, and was teetering gently, just about managing to stay upright. He gave a weak smile and reached out a hand to ruffle the soft black hair that stuck up all over the boy's head.

"Alright kid, you've probably woke the whole damn school up by now. I take it you want breakfast?"

Towards the end of breakfast, which was always slower and calmer on a Saturday, Sirius finally began to wake up properly. Leaning around Peter to grab another slice of toast, he noticed James and Harry's absence next to them, and, as he turned to his right to ask Lupin where they were, suddenly saw that he was alone but for Peter.

"Wormy, wha-" he cut himself off just as Peter turned to him, mouth full of cereal. Remus had just re-entered the dining area with Harry contentedly balanced on his hip, heading back to the table. He headed first up to the teachers table to the seat occupied by Madam Pomfrey, and after a hurried conversation, made his way back down to the long Gryffindor table which was beginning to look barer as emptied platters of food disappeared here and there. He slid in neatly on the bench next to Sirius and placed Harry unceremoniously on the table next to a bowl of Cockroach Crunch.

"He's actually a fair bit heavier than he looks you know" Lupin pointed out casually as Sirius looked at them curiously. "Okay, I'm going to guess from the way you're looking at me you don't remember what I told you before breakfast?" Sirius stared blankly.

"Ah. Well, I told James that er, I'd watch Harry for the day so he can smooth things over with Lily and he wasn't too sure, and then he suggested you help out as well, and well, you grunted, so we took that as a yes…" Lupin trailed off looking slightly guilty. They all knew perfectly well that Sirius would agree to anything before he'd had breakfast, and generally Lupin was the one who encouraged the others to not take advantage of this. Looking over at Sirius though, he was relieved to see him smiling.

"Sure, why not, eh? Ha, poor thing's probably sick of the sight of you and James anyhow" he stood and grabbed Harry and swept him up under his arm, holding on to him remarkably well despite the distracting giggles and wriggling this inspired from the baby. "You gonna come entertain him with us, Peter?"

Peter shook his head nervously, edging away from Sirius and Harry as sharply as if they were leaking butober pus.

"I have to go to those Charms catch up lessons. Actually, I should really be going, now that I remember…" He finished the last of his cereal quickly and hurried away towards the door. Children had never been his strong point, and he certainly wasn't about to start learning now.

Sirius on the other hand, was quickly learning that Harry, whilst clearly enthusiastic, could squirm more than anything else he had ever come across. He thrust him back towards Lupin with a smile, and stretched exuberantly. Remus grinned up at him as he took the baby back carefully, trying to hide the way his hands were shaking. The full moon was getting uncomfortably close, and with all of the drama surrounding James and Lily, he had been attempting to downplay his usual symptoms since they had begun a few days earlier.

"Come on you" he said smiling wanly as he stood up. "Let's hope you're as easily amused as Uncle Sirius." And with that, ignoring Sirius' protests, he led the way out of the hall and back up to the common room.

* * *

 

Harry - and Sirius for that matter - quickly got bored of playing in the common room, and Lupin looked up from his book in the armchair he was perched in to see them both gazing up at him expectantly. Sirius was sprawled on the floor with Harry on his chest, his tiny fists twisted into his tousled black hair contentedly.

"You'll have no hair left if you keep letting him pull at it like that Padfoot" he laughed, standing up and setting down the textbook he had been looking through. Sirius just grinned from his position on the floor, and gently unwound his hair from the baby's fist.

"Keeps him quiet, doesn't it?" He gave a sigh and gently placed Harry on the floor next to him. "I'm bored… Can't we go somewhere? James isn't going to be back for hours at this rate…" he whined, looking up at Remus with a pathetic expression on his face.

"Where exactly do you propose? Madam Pomfrey said we should probably keep him indoors, she's scared he might catch a cold if he goes outside in this wind." A deep, involuntary shudder ran through him, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts, noticing Sirius frowning at him as he did. They'd all skipped their last astrology lesson due to James not wanting to wake Harry up at midnight, so no doubt the rest of them hadn't been keeping as close an eye on the moon phase as he had. Lupin cleared his throat.

"Besides, I'm not sure I really want to go outside right now anyway. What about just taking him around the castle for a while? It might tire him out a bit."

Harry was dutifully bundled up inside the cloak that Lupin had shrunk for him and wrapped up warmly at Sirius' insistence, who was determined that he would not catch a cold. More than anything else, he knew how loud and generally _drippy_  babies seemed to get they were ill; god knows he had enough cousins and nieces and nephews to have formed a fairly decent opinion of them all.

They made their way down from Gryffindor tower and wandered up and down the various hallways of the school, taking it in turns to carry the baby - Remus, perching him neatly on a hip, Sirius hoisting him up onto his shoulders. Harry was particularly enthralled with a painting of a young man in brightly coloured robes on the third floor, who he happily chattered away at and attempted to stroke with his grubby fingers - understandably, the young man made a quick exit into his neighbours painting. The library seemed less interesting, although they had only managed a quick peek before being ushered out by the horrified Madam Pince. The Owlery made him stare in awe at the fluttering shapes everywhere, for once happy to just look and not grab.

They eventually made their way down to the kitchens, passing several open classrooms full of students as they did. Lupin and Sirius usually commanded a certain level of respect and general fear from the lower years, being a prefect and a Black, respectively, but now even the first years were openly staring through doors at them as they carried Harry down towards the picture of the fruit bowl that led to the kitchens. The portrait swung open to reveal the huge expanse of kitchen inside, full of scurrying house elves who generally took no notice of the trio that had appeared in their midst. Sirius grabbed the back of one of the elves sheet-clothes, and bent down to ask for what they wanted, getting only a rather nervous squeak of assent in return. Soon they were staggering back up towards the dormitories laden down with sandwiches for lunch, baby food and butterbeer.

Later, as the day began to wind down and the common room slowly filled up with students lazing around pretending to do homework, Lupin and Sirius took up their usual positions on the couches by the fire, and were soon joined by Peter who dropped heavily into the sunken armchair, grabbing a sandwich from the still considerable pile as he did.

"Fifteen times in a row she made me do the summoning thingy. Fifteen. Half of them were fourth years who were just there for extra credit, and there's me looking like a right-" Peter stopped as he noticed only Remus was turned toward him listening. Sirius was curled up on the sofa opposite, with Harry cuddled up in the crook of his arm, hand twisted firmly into his hair again. Remus followed his gaze and chuckled.

"They both nodded off after lunch" he smiled, "and I just didn't have the heart to wake them up." He placed his book on the arm of the chair and grinned at Peter. "I shouldn't be saying this as Prefect of course, but I do think you'd be better off skipping the extra lessons next time." He stood up and stretched with a laughed, clearly in a good mood.

Peter grinned back, glad to see his friend looking a little less worn down than he had the past few days. They sat for a while longer talking in low voices, occasionally shushing the loud third-years who were practising transfiguration on the table behind them in case they woke up the still sleeping pair on the sofa. It was this peaceful scene that James and Lily found when they eventually returned to the common room as daylight began to fade.

Lily said nothing, but Remus caught her eye as she climbed through the portrait hole and she gave a small smile, nodding quickly before hurrying off to talk to a still angry looking Alice who sat on her own in the corner. James looked positively glowing as he strode over to the fireplace, which, Lupin decided, could surely only be a good thing. Maybe things would be a little more peaceful from now on - although, as he looked on at James scooping up Harry gleefully from the couch and trying tip Sirius off, who woke up and began to protest loudly and immediately – maybe not.


	8. Early Birds

For yet another day now, Lily found herself waking up impossibly early. The first few birds had begun to tweet gently outside in the still dim grounds, the sunrise still gathering strength in the distant winter sky. She slid out of bed carefully, well practiced now at not waking up her fellow dormitory mates, and slid on a dressing gown as she made her way out of the cold dormitory to the comparative warmth of the common room. The house elves seemed to have a knack for knowing when she was going to wake up, Lily thought, as she finished descending the staircase to find yet another newly built fire crackling away happily on the hearth.

By the window on the same low table as always was the small bottle and supply of baby food that had sat there for the last strange week, and Lily found herself walking towards it absent-mindedly. She scanned the table, taking in the tiny utensils, delicately patterned bowls and old fashioned glass and silver bottle with a rubber teat, smiling slightly as she picked up the small toy snake she had seen Harry clinging onto the previous day when she had seen James and Sirius curled up on the sofa's with him before dinner. It matched the crockery too perfectly to be bought from somewhere, surely James' work - or perhaps Remus? She put it down gently on the tray amongst the other items and sat down heavily on the window seat beside her, a tiny seed of a thought growing in her head.

_He's only up there, just a staircase away_. She shook her head at her own thoughts and stared determinedly out of the window, gazing down at the deserted quidditch pitch which was becoming more visible by the minute in the growing light outside. The hard ground and crisp conditions meant she would have surely seen James outside as soon as it was light on a normal day.

_You promised you were going to help. You said you wanted to, that you were just scared. You promised you would be stronger_. She stood up abruptly. It wasn't enough to have James and Alice mad at her, now her own conscience was having a go at her as well? She sighed. I suppose now is as good a time as any, she thought, as she pulled her red and gold gown around her tighter, stepping tentatively onto the first step of the staircase up to the boy's dormitory.

No alarm bells - good start. She had of course seen other girls going up the stairs, but you never could be too sure, especially at this hour. It would be just her luck to round off this bizarre week with another opportunity to make a public spectacle of herself, she thought grimly, continuing on up the tight stairway.

The circular room on the fifth landing that greeted Lily was not dissimilar to the girls dormitory that she was so used to waking up in every morning. Same tall, thick-set windows, same ancient four-poster beds, same adjoining doors to further rooms, same freezing cold stone floor - something she could have done without she thought as she winced her way across the room in her bare feet. There were subtle differences though, such as the rather more untidy looking trunks at the foot of the beds, and the large amount of posters scattering the walls of the room, magical and muggle alike. Many of the muggle ones seemed to be crowded above Sirius' bed, where he lay sprawled fast asleep and only half covered by the blankets, his robes strewn casually on the floor and his bed curtains open wide. Remus by contrast lay peacefully in the next bed along, curtains tied up neatly and school robes folded on the chair next to him. The only other occupied bed in the room, which she guessed must belong to Peter, had the curtains drawn tightly around it. She scanned the room looking for James, quickly noticing the small crib that stood by one of the beds, looking a little lost in the large room.

Lily approached the crib slowly, careful not to make any noise on the hard floor, which wasn't difficult in her bare feet. She bent and peered down into the cradle, expecting to see that small, laughing face looking up at her with his uncannily similar eyes - but nothing. The crib stood empty and bare, with just a pillow and soft mattress to fill the wooden space. Puzzled, she straightened up and looked around. Could it be the wrong bed? But why would the crib be next to anybody else? She peered around the half open velvet hangings of the bed next to her and smiled. Ah.

James lay fast asleep on the bed, curled up tightly in the bedclothes with a faint smile on his face, looking calmer than Lily had ever seen him. Curled up snugly next to him was a very awake and grinning Harry. Looking from one to the other, Lily was hard-pressed to deny the resemblance between them - the baby was a miniature version of the teenage boy he was cuddled up against. Without his glasses James looked so much younger it was suddenly so obvious to her, and she was surprised to find that the similarity between the two did not bother her. Harry waved his arms up at her, quietly demanding to be picked up and clearly unhappy with the lack of attention he was getting from the sleeping boy. She paused for a moment, then, deciding she may as well finish what she had begun, picked him up, relieved to see him not squirming. She held him close and left James behind, sleeping peacefully and completely unaware that anything had changed.

Breakfast with Harry was far less of a struggle than Lily had anticipated, as the baby seemed unwilling to struggle this morning, contenting himself with cuddling in close to Lily and hugging his snake toy tightly throughout the whole meal. The room grew light as morning finally dawned on the empty common room, and as Lily cleared away the empty food jars and bowls with a wave of her wand, she noticed a quiet tapping noise. She frowned and looked around the room, wand aloft, but saw nothing except Harry attempting to crawl over to the nearest sofa to pull himself upright. She laughed and stood up to follow him, registering as she did that the tapping noise was growing louder. She spun around again, surveying the whole room with a shrewd eye, finally turning back to the window seat she had sat at earlier. A haughty looking brown owl was hovering up and down, fighting against the cold winds that kept buffeting it against the closed window. It tapped insistently on the window with it's sharp beak again, staring straight at Lily and looking rather unamused.

Lily hurried over to open the window, forgetting all about Harry as he sat down heavily and suddenly next to the sofa, causing her to look around guiltily as she let in the owl and removed the tight scroll from it's leg. He simply sat down and glared at his snake, chewing insistently on its plush head as Lily made her way over to the sofas and opened up the scroll.

_Dear Mr Potter and Miss Evans,_

_I will be returning to the school at dusk today provided all goes to plan. I wish to see you both in my office at nightfall if it is convenient to you, at around seven o' clock? Thank you both for your immense patience, and I hope that I will be now able to answer the many questions you both no doubt have with sufficient detail._

_The gargoyle outside of my office will require a password from you. My favourite breakfast treat at the moment is Cockroach Crunch._

_Regards,_

_Professor Albus Dumbledore,_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Lily held the small piece of parchment tightly in her hand, re-reading it several times to make sure she had understood correctly. Harry was watching the brown owl clean itself on a table near by, giggling happily as it took off out of the open window and headed directly upwards to the Owlery. She stood up. James had to know about this immediately.

 

* * *

 

Lily turned slowly and reached out towards Harry to pick him up, still grasping the note tightly in her fist. He looked at her contemplatively for a few seconds, then dropped his snake and crawled happily over, setting himself down proudly at her feet. She smiled down at him, and lifted him gently to balance on her hip, immensely relieved that he seemed to have stopped squirming around her. Harry pulled curiously on a lock of her long, auburn hair as she started across the common room towards the staircase once again. This had to be a good thing surely, she thought as they walked, adjusting Harry as he clung onto her side slightly awkwardly. Dumbledore must have found out something useful, or he wouldn't want to see them so soon after his arrival.

Another owl on the table by the dormitory door regarded her quietly as she passed, then ruffled it's feathers and took flight out of the window; Harry's eyes followed it curiously, obviously fascinated by the beautiful animals. Lily began to climb the narrow staircase, listening intently for any sounds of movement from the dormitories above. A few faint shuffling noises could be heard, but it didn't sound like many students were up and out of bed yet. "Perfect" Lily said, smiling at Harry who obligingly tugged on her hair as a response. "Let's go wake up your favourite person then".

Pushing open the heavy door with her shoulder, Lily peered nervously inside. She cleared her throat.

James spun around at the sound, dropping the shoe he was holding onto the hard floor with a bang. He rushed over to the two figures in the doorway wearing just one, his eyes burning with worry and his voice frantic.

"Lily! I thought- I didn't know where he-" he ran a hand through his already untidy hair and sighed. He had clearly dressed in a hurry; his shirt was buttoned madly and his tie nowhere to be seen. "You should have woken me up or something Lils, I didn't know what to do." he said in a softer voice, reaching out to stroke the baby's head, who was reaching out his arms towards him. Lily walked over to James' bed and placed him on the fluffed up pillows and entangled sheets. She smiled apologetically and handed James the note without a word. He scanned it quickly and threw it down on the bed next to Harry, his expression unreadable.

"This is probably good right, James? He must have found out something" Lily offered eagerly, stepping neatly over the disorganised trunk next to the foot of the bed towards James. "Right?" James looked up, looking slightly distracted.

"What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's probably a good thing." he shook his head and grinned up at her. Lily smiled back tentatively and looked around the empty room. The sound of running water came from the door which led to the small bathroom, and listening closely she could just make out the sound of voices talking animatedly. James had sat down on the bed next to Harry and given him his glasses to play with, laughing as the baby lifted them up to his face and peered through them curiously.

"Hey James, are you-" she was cut off by the deafening sound of the small door banging against the wall as it was flung open with considerably force. Sirius strode through, hair dripping wet and barefoot, talking over his shoulder to the others still in the bathroom behind him. He made it almost all the way to his own bed before realising that Lily was watching him with an amused expression on her face. He gaped at her, looking between her and the distracted James.

"Wha? You? You - weren't here last night, were you?" he said slowly, trying to make sense of the situation in spite of the early hour. Lily raised her eyebrows. He shook his wet hair out of his face and continued to gape at her. "But… you weren't here all night, were you?" Lily laughed, startling Harry who stared up at her curiously, then began to babble happily as he recognised Sirius from across the room.

"No, Sirius, I think you might have noticed that much." she giggled and swept her hair out of her face. "I just came in to tell James that Dumbledore is back. Besides, there's no rule against me being here, especially since I'm a prefect now" she finished with her eyebrows raised at his sleepy, uncomprehending manner, and turned her back on him as he shook his head at her and turned around to find his shirt, to face James and the baby. James, who had been watching their exchange with amusement, looked right back. In the early morning light the dormitory shone beautifully, and looking up at her framed in the light of the window, he realised he had never seen Lily so happy since the arrival of Harry. He cleared his throat.

"I don't know about you Lils, but I'm starving" he winked at her, silently glad that she didn't protest the nickname. "Fancy some breakfast?"

* * *

 

Early afternoon found Lily and James back in the busy dormitory, forced to halt their plans for a walk around the grounds with Harry due to an unscheduled snowfall. Gryffindor tower was teeming with people on breaks in between lessons, or simply people avoiding the heavy snow outside. The fireplace crackled happily away - not that it could be seen easily from the deep windowseat on the other side of the common room where Harry sat with the two teenagers, watching the huge amount of people still teeming through the portrait hole, shaking themselves free of snow and ice in front of the warmth.

Lily slid onto the floor next to the window to grab on of the steaming goblets full of hot chocolate that Remus had brought in for them a few minutes earlier before hurrying off to resume his duties. _He must be doing double duties_ , Lily realised with a pang of guilt, _since I haven't been doing them_. At least he wasn't being as much of a child as Sirius was about finding her in the dormitory this morning; indeed by midday the only way to stop him making crude comments was James' only half-joking threat to jinx him if he carried on.

She put down her own goblet and picked up a bottle also full of warm milk which she handed gently to Harry, keeping hold of the end of it as he grabbed it greedily to make sure he didn't drop it everywhere as he had earlier. James watched her appreciatively.

"Not so hard once you get the hang of it, is it?" he said, nodding towards Harry who was still emptying the bottle of its contents with considerable speed. She smiled.

"I guess not." she replied. "He seems to like me a bit better now anyways. I think he could tell that I was nervous" she finished, looking rather embarrassed.

"Well of course he could! He knows not to waste his time on people who don't want to be with him" James grinned. "Someone's taught him well."

Lily flushed. "It's not that I didn't want to. I was just… scared, I guess. I was terrified of him, and how easily you accepted it. It felt like everyone knew something that I didn't. But I guess I can see now - everyone else is just as scared. So it's okay" she gave a small smile, and picked up her wand. Harry, who was finished with his bottle cast it aside and leaned forward with interest, trying to touch the beautiful willow wand.

She laughed and muttered something under her breath. Streams of multi-coloured bubbles poured out of the end of her wand, rising a few metres into the air before disappearing with a quiet pop. Harry gave a shout of delight and, supported by James, struggled into a standing position to grab the rising bubbles that threw odd, multi-coloured shadows on the window behind them. As he touched one of the bubbles it burst in a small cloud of green smoke which dissipated almost instantly. James raised his eyebrows in surprise, and reached out to touch one of the bubbles himself. This one exploded in a small shower of golden sparks which hung for a moment in the air and then faded into nothing. He laughed in surprise and looked at Lily, who grinned guiltily.

"Bloody hell Evans, I always knew you were a know-it-all when it comes to charms, but I'm genuinely impressed." She gave a snort, momentarily interrupting the stream of bubbles before steadying.

"Wow, thanks Potter. I can sleep easy now I know I've got your approval. My mission in life." Her voice however, James noticed, held none of the animosity that it would have a few weeks previously. He opened his mouth to reply but was immediately distracted as a large shadow descended over them and swept Harry up into it's arms. Lily turned around with a start, her wand at the ready - then sighed.

"What do you want Sirius? Come to annoy us even more?" Sirius raised an eyebrow casually and swung Harry up to sit on his shoulders where he teetered happily, smacking his fists against the tall boy's head.

"Well if you don't want my help…" he turned and made as if to walk away, pausing with a concerned look on his face as he looked back towards the confused looking pair. "I simply thought you might appreciate the offer of my immense babysitting skills while you two totter off to see our dear headmaster - of course I read the note Prongs, you left it lying on your bed, you prat." he added as James began to protest. "If I'm not wanted though…" he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders and grabbing Harry to put him back down. He turned away and waited with a smile.

"Sirius, wait…"

James and Lily made their way determinedly to the portrait hole as the setting sun cast long shadows over the figures of Sirius sitting by the fire next to Peter, chattering happily away to the baby on his knee in a choice seat formerly occupied by a morose looking seventh year, who was now lurking near the portrait hole resentfully. They looked at each other nervously before slowly making their way through the common room exit. Both had the same anxious question in their heads: what on earth was going to happen to them now?


	9. Desicions

In the fading light of the sun as dusk rapidly approached, an old man paced his study slowly. This, as anyone could tell by the sweep of his long beard, or the swish of the purple cloak as he turned on his heel at the end of the room, was no ordinary old man. The fragile, twinkling instruments puffed on happily around him, and the old man stopped in his tracks as one particularly spindly looking one let out a short whistle and began to spin. He sighed, rubbing his eyes behind his half-moon glasses, and turned to face his visitors who were rapidly approaching the wooden door.

James entered the room first, with a nervous Lily following straight behind him. The headmaster was happy to see that they at least no longer seemed to be at each others throats as they had been the last time he had seen them together. He nodded quietly towards the two chairs in front of the desk, and held up his hand to stop James as he opened his mouth to say something. _No_ , he thought, _they need to hear everything before they start asking questions_. He took his seat at the chair behind the wide desk, and cleared his throat.

"I know you both have questions, but I ask you to keep them to yourselves until I have told you everything I know. Likely they will all be answered before long anyway. Can I count on that?" he said, peering down at them. They both gave quick nods, apprehension marking their features heavily. "I'm not going to hide anything from you, and I trust that you can take this news like the mature young people I know you both to be." He sighed again.

"Harry is – most definitely- your child." He ignored the small intake of breath from Lily, and carried on. "I cannot tell you exactly when from, only that it is sometime in the future. I have travelled rather far this past week to consult with many wizards abroad who specialise in time manipulation, as it is sadly a highly understudied field in this country, and none of them have come across anything quite like this before." He shivered, remembering some of the less than friendly civilisations that he had spent time with. "I had to be sure of the reliability of the memories I extracted, before relying on them as definite evidence." 

"What is most likely to have happened here, is that Harry has been in the presence of severe emotional trauma where he can no longer be with either of his parents, and has somehow summoned and used his inherent magical ability to transport himself to a time where he could be close to both of them." He saw the realisation start to dawn on James' face, and averted his eyes as he continued.

"This is likely the event of his parents death." He finished quietly, not wanting to look at the two scared teenagers. The three of them sat, distraught and silent for several moments as the news sunk in. James eventually broke the silence, speaking into the stillness of the room in a small voice.

"But, surely the fact that he's here means that doesn't have to happen? The future's been changed now, because if he's here now, we won't be wherever we would be in the future if we… you, know. Died." His voice broke on the last word, and he reached for Lily's hand which lay unyielding between the two of them. She didn't resist, and continued to stare at the ground in shock. Dumbledore looked up from the desk.

"James, you are, despite your constant talent for trouble, a very clever boy. You should know that interfering with matters of the past or future is a very dangerous business. Time travel is highly risky, and many wonderful witches and wizards have fallen prey to the dangers found by messing around in their own timelines." He looked between the two of them, trying to keep his voice steady and calm.

"I can tell you one thing for certain about this child – he is no ordinary boy. He is powerful, and all of the wizards I have consulted with have agreed on one thing – he is immensely important, and will do amazing things in the future. His future." Lily finally looked up from the floor and at the headmaster's face which was still lined with despair. "He could indeed be the light required to lead us forwards in these increasingly dark days." 

"You can't expect us to be calm about this though!"

She looked heartbroken, distraught even, as she continued. "I mean, what can we even do? He's stuck here now, and there's nothing we can do about it, so the future will just have to change. Right?" She stared up at him, desperately seeking his agreement, but instead feeling her heart drop as the old man shook his head slowly.

"There is something we can do. There is a ritual – a very old, very rarely practiced, ritual – which could be altered to send Harry back to his own time. It has been centuries since it has been practiced, but I believe we could do it. Harry would be returned to his own time, and the future would carry on as it is meant to." He spoke quickly, wishing to get it all out at once.

"And if we don't?" James asked slowly.

"I don't know." The headmaster answered simply, spreading his hands in defeat. "The future would change immensely, and I'm not convinced that it would be in any way for the better. Some things shouldn't be meddled with, ever."

James nodded, and clamped his lips together nervously. Dumbledore looked between the two and decided he could stand no more of it.

"This is of course your decision, and I could never expect you to make a decision of this magnitude right away. I will ask that you go away, take some time to talk, and sleep on it. The ritual can be performed tomorrow at dusk if necessary, and it would be over in a matter of minutes if all goes to plan. So please – go and think. Think about what is best for everyone." He stood up, signalling that it was time for them to leave.

James and Lily stood up, dazed and distraught, hands still tightly clasped together, although neither of them seemed to notice. As they made their way towards the door, Lily turned and stopped, directing her gaze back towards the Headmaster as he stood next to his desk.

"Professor, we didn't ask for any of this. We can't-" she broke off, tears threatening to overtake her voice. The Headmaster nodded sadly at her, acknowledging the sentiment.

"Lily, I know. I know."


	10. Futures

Harry was confused. After a very fun evening which he had spent mainly climbing all over the loud boy with the fun hair, and watching as the wiry boy with the wispy hair laughed at the two of them playing on the floor of the dormitory, everyone suddenly seemed very different when he woke up in the bright light of the morning. The familiar one cuddled up next to him in the large four-poster bed looked positively alien without the usual grin splitting his face in half when he got him dressed in the morning, and couldn't even raise a smile at Harry's attempts to cheer him up by batting him on top of his messy hair with his half empty bottle. The other boys were the same - only the loud one managed a half-hearted grin at him as he was carried out of the dormitory and down the steep stairs.

No, even the beautiful, amazingly familiar red-headed girl was looking sadly at him as they arrived in the common room. She took him and hugged him close, pressing her head down into the top of his to shade both of their eyes from the sun pouring in the windows. He looked up at her curiously, and raised a chubby first to pat her cheek gently. Finally. A smile at last.

The strange trio sat quietly on the chairs in the empty headmaster's office, waiting for Dumbledore to return from his meeting with the potions master. James, slumped back in his chair with his hands clasped tightly in front of him, looked nervously over at Lily and Harry who occupied the other chair. Lily held the baby more confidently now, one hand keeping tightly hold of him while the other casually held the toy snake that Harry was chewing on.

The night before had been excruciating - on return to the tower they had found Harry and Peter asleep on the couches, and had quickly rounded up Remus, Sirius and Alice to quietly explain the situation (or, at least, what they understood of it all) gathered around the dying fire in the common room. Reactions had been varied to say the least, from Alice's tears to Sirius' fiery indignation at Dumbledore's suggestions, until Lily had turned at last to Remus, who was paler and more wan looking than ever in the darkening room.

"Alice?" She looked up at her and smiled sadly. "This involves all of us you know. I mean, we have no idea what's going to happen to us when-if he goes back. We might not even remember anything." Lily's voice faltered as she fought to keep it steady, trying to keep her thoughts from straying too far into a place where she would not be able to keep control any more. "I don't know what to do." A light pressure on her hand made her jump, and she looked over to see James sitting beside her on the sofa, nodding at her words and glancing over at Remus, who was on the floor holding up his hand, observing how much it was trembling.

"Yes you do. We both know what needs to be done" James had sighed, lowering his frame down into the cushions. "That doesn't mean it's going to be easy, and I don't think any of us are looking forward to figuring out what on earth we're supposed to do after this, but in the end that doesn't really change anything. We all know what should be done."

James swallowed, and looked over to Sirius and Remus who were now deep in conversation, noticing that for once Sirius seemed to be keeping an almost respectful distance as they sat on the rug. He snorted quietly, and made a mental note to remember the moment - before it hit him that it was entirely possible that he wasn't going to remember any of this. Not the gorgeous, laughing boy who grinned up at him every time he saw him, or Sirius' face as it lit up more than he had ever seen as he played with the mischievous baby. Most of all though, he thought, Lily. The very fact she wasn't attempting to punch him in the face as he gently stroked her hand was incredible, and he was supposed to give that up? Go back to having her reject him every single day, all for the greater good of a future they would likely not even be a part of? How could anyone expect that of him?

Lily had stood up and tugged the sleeve of his school shirt, urging him up towards the boy's dormitories to check if Harry was okay. They walked silently up the stairs, both lost in their thoughts, and made their way towards the crib where Harry lay sleeping silently, his tiny chest barely disturbing his red blanket, and his shock of black hair as messy as it had ever been. Lily stroked his cheek gently with the back of a finger, and turned towards James, her eyes full of tears that threatened to spill over on to her perfect cheeks.

"You know we have to, don't you?" She whispered, moving her hand out of the crib and taking James's in hers. She placed her forehead lightly against his chest for a moment as she continued to speak, her hair fanning out brilliantly in the moonlight. "We have to. Or- or he won't be the same. He might not grow up the way he's supposed to, and he might not do the amazing things Dumbledore said he would." She spoke quietly, but with a steadiness in her voice. "We shouldn't have the power to change these things." James looked down at her, so close to him and at her shining eyes staring back up at him, pleading for him to agree. He swallowed the lump in his throat - and nodded once.

"I know. I just…" he trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence, and not wanting to betray his shaky voice. They stood for a few moments more in the half-dark of the candlelit room, frozen in place in the same soft embrace, neither willing to step away from the temporary comfort of each other against the lingering horror of the rest of the world. 

* * *

 

James jumped slightly as the headmaster apparated in front of them, behind the desk. He held an odd assortment of objects in his hands, amongst them something that looked like a very old pillow covered in strange, shimmering embroidery. He placed the objects on the desk and stepped out from behind it.

"I am terribly sorry to keep the three of you waiting." he looked it as well, Lily realised. The headmaster looked at the three of them with genuine apology, and she knew it wasn't for being late.

"Am I to assume that you have decided to send Harry back to where he belongs?" Dumbledore asked them quietly, receiving a quick nod from both of them. He smiled sadly, looking at the slightly bemused looking child perched on Lily's knee. He picked up one of the instruments and whispered a quick instruction into it, looking completely unsurprised when his office door swung open a few moments later and Sirius strode through, with Remus and Alice following closely behind, having been automatically transported across the school. They stood solemnly, not needing to ask why they had been so suddenly snatched from the common room.

"You three are the only other people who have interacted closely with Harry? Grown close to him, as it were?" The professor looked over his glasses at them as he spoke. It was Sirius who answered, his voice less flippant than usual.

"Yeah Professor. Peter's been too busy really, so babysitting duties got lumped with us" he smiled weakly, glancing over at his best friend who sat pale in his chair.

Professor Dumbledore nodded, and picked up the old cushion he had been carrying on his arrival, indicating to the newcomers that they should join Lily and James at the seats crowded around the front of the desk.

"Well then. We should begin." he sighed, gazing down at the cushion. He handed it to Lily, motioning that she should sit Harry on it, which he happily did, still confused at the lack of humour in the room.

As the headmaster began to mutter quietly, Harry turned to look at the people surrounding him. They all stared at him intensely, but not in an unsettling way. He felt a hand gripping his back tightly, and twisted around to see James holding him tight, now crouched on the floor beside Lily, who wrapped her arms around them both. 

The muttering grew faster and faster, beginning to unsettle Harry a little. He stared up into the eyes that mirrored his own so well, seeing tears beginning to form in their depths as the headmaster placed his wand gently to the back of his small head, muttering now so fast that nobody could possibly understand what he was saying.

Lily locked eyes with the baby ahead of her, seeing a fear growing in his eyes that tugged at her heart in a way she had not known was physically possible, suddenly wanting to do anything possible as long as it meant never seeing that look in his eyes ever again. As Professor Dumbledore placed the tip of his wand to Harry's head, she held back her tears, not wanting to frighten him any more.

The room began to spin, and Lily felt herself growing dizzier as the darkness from the window seemed to spread throughout the room, plunging them all slowly into the dimness of the dusky sky outside. Fighting to stay upright as she felt James faint heavily beside her on the floor, she managed to whisper quietly, all the while staring into the beautifully familar, forgiving green eyes, before slipping into a deep unconsciousness.

'Harry…'

 


	11. The Week That Never Was

Lily Evans jumped awake violently, sitting up poker straight in the large four-poster bed she found herself in. The chilly early morning light streamed through the large windows of the dormitory, striking her harshly in the eyes. The curtains of the bed were neatly tied up as always, offering little protection from the usually gentle morning light that Lily was used to waking up to.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the unexpected brightness, and lowered it quickly, surprised to find her brow damp with cold sweat. Alice turned over restlessly in the next bed along, clutching her pillow and murmuring something incoherently into it as she burrowed deeper into the covers with a distressed expression. Lily swung her shaking legs out of bed intending to wake her friend up from her nightmares- _but why are my legs shaking_? she thought worriedly, before changing her mind and curling up in the heavy blankets, an uncomfortable feeling settling deep in her stomach.

The same nauseous sense of unease clung to Lily all through the day like wet clothes, distracting her mind from it's usual sharp duties. As it were, she floated through the day, barely noticing the uncomfortable mood that seemed to have settled over Gryffindor table at breakfast. She did not spare a thought for the unusual quietness that consumed half of the members of her potions class, focusing more on the deja-vu that haunted her than the fact Severus went an entire lesson without being harassed simply because nobody seemed to be feeling up to it. Even the upcoming Hogsmeade visit wasn't enough to pull her thoughts out of the slump they had settled in. 

At lunch she discovered it was very difficult to eat and brood at the same time, leaving her no extra energy to notice the silent, sidelong glances that were being shot frequently along the table between usually raucous members of her house. And if Remus was quieter than usual as they completed their prefect duties, well, that was no business of hers. Maybe he was coming down with something; he did look rather pale after all. They skirted around each other as they went through the usual motions of the evening routine in the growing moonlight, until eventually Remus muttered something about taking a bath and scuttled away, leaving her to make her own way up to the tower.

Lily walked quickly, still not entirely comfortable with being out on her own in the castle after dark, buried deep in her thoughts of… well. That was the problem. Despite a whole day spent searching her mind, Lily found herself continually coming up with a total blank. Feelings and emotions swam up occasionally, unnerving without any thoughts to connect them to. A pitiful aching for something was the most common, alongside moments of alternating despair and a strange resigned feeling. She was beginning to feel thoroughly sick of the unfamiliar sensations and the strangeness of the day, which was certainly not helped by a tiny voice in the back of her head as she clambered through the portrait hole, noting that she hadn't even seen _him_ around today.

"OUCH!"

James crashed headlong into the tall girl who half fell, half climbed through the entrance to the common room and directly into him, sending the contents of both their bags flying all around them. Half of the crowded room had looked up to seek the cause of the commotion, and seeing nothing more interesting than two tangled up students, carried on with their various evening tasks, disappointed that there was not anything more interesting going on that could demand their attention away from homework and boredom.

"What on earth do you think you're doing, hanging around behind the portrait hole?" Lily fumed, shaking her hair out of her face as she bent down to gather up the scattered parchment, books and quills that decorated the floor around them. She sighed, and sat back on her heels to survey the damage. "I don't even know if half of this belongs to me or you, so you're going to have to help." She turned, half expecting James to be using the situation as an excuse to propose to her, and stopped, sitting awkwardly on her feet and gaping in his general direction.

James Potter had just nodded at her silently, and begun to gather up his things from the floor. No marriage proposals. No invites to Hogsmeade. Not so much as a lewd wink in her direction, or Sirius' either for that matter, who was being very uncommonly quiet over by the fireside on his own.

'James?' she asked uncertainly, tentatively gathering up a few more scattered pieces of homework. He looked up slowly, and gave her a gentle smile. "Are you... okay?" she continued, hardly believing she was asking the question. He laughed, not quite as raucously as usual, and sat down to lean back on his knees, resting back against the noticeboard beside them.

"Yeah, I guess. Just a bit off today, Evans, no idea why." James relaxed against the solid wood of the post he was leaning against, and let his head fall back to stare up at the large windows where the sky was almost completely dark, not a single star visible in the inky blackness outside. He let his eyes flicker sideways, where he saw Lily lower herself to sit cross legged amongst the mess of their spilled bags, ignoring the disapproving tuts from the seventh years at the nearest table to the entrance. "You too, eh?" he said softly, returning his gaze to the window.

"I suppose. I don't know why." Lily sighed, pushing the rising feeling of loss away once again as it filled her chest. She turned to look at the boy sitting next to her. He sat, not confidently sprawled as he usually was, but with his knees pulled up to his chest like a child as he stared out into the emptiness of the sky outside. He looked younger than he'd appeared in years. James turned suddenly, to meet her gaze, and they sat in silence for a moment.

"You haven't tried to hex me in almost 24 hours, Evans."

"Yeah, well. You haven't proposed to me in almost as long. I think we're slipping in our old age."

James laughed, easier this time, some of the usual confidence that filled it working its way back in. They sat comfortably, surrounded by the scattered mess of their adolescence around them, with a distinctly adult and untraceable feeling of loss and love hovering in both of their hearts. This was a James Potter she was not familiar with in the slightest, Lily realised with a jolt, taking in his expression and thoughtful gaze. No childish arrogance remained in his vulnerable position on the floor, and even the cockiness of his voice seemed to be toned down many degrees. This was a James Potter she could maybe not be compelled to hex twenty times a day – one she could definitely get on board with.

"No use dwelling on it though, right?" James said suddenly as he edged closer to the girl next to him, moving cautiously as he kept one eye in her direction, trying to gauge her reaction.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we both feel like crap, that much is clear. But there's no use in thinking too much about it, because I've tried that all today and god it doesn't make you feel any sort of better in my opinion, I feel even more like crap and I don't even know WHY and then that makes me feel worse and-"

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"Shush."

Lily stood up slowly and stretched, reaching for her wand to gather the remaining objects scattered on the floor into a neat pile. She grinned at the dark haired figure who sat on the floor still, and offered out her hand, feeling pleasantly surprised when he took it and heavily pulled himself up, mimicking her cleaning spell when he did with little effort. She smiled, and turned to make her way up to the spiral staircase that led to the dormitories, but paused after a few steps to face James again.

"You know, James, if you were to maybe ask me what I was doing this Hogsmeade weekend while not being a berk for once, I couldn't possibly say what my answer might be." she grinned, and continued to walk across the room. "I might have an answer tomorrow though." she called back across her shoulder at the stricken boy.

James stood in the common room, his emotions running circles through his mind, alternately informing him of the fact he was madly shocked, desperately sad, and still attempting to deal with a very adult feeling of loss and resignation. He shook his head, and made his way over to the sofas by the fire to try and make sense of everything that had happened, and was apparently still happening, to utterly confuse his head. Still – maybe it was best not to dwell on it in the end, he thought as he settled down into an armchair.

* * *

 

Outside, the cool wind blew gently across the castle grounds, and in a very high tower, an old man sat all alone with a very peculiar magical object in his hands, swirling with black inky substances that were neither gas nor liquid. A basin of forgotten memories, soon to be remembered only by a quiet, thoughtful old man, who would once again take it upon himself to carry around knowledge that would tear lives apart, in order to protect those who needed to be protected.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "After all, it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
> 
> Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 1991


End file.
